Method and apparatus for marking symbols and other subject matter on charts, graphs and the like



Oct. 1, 1968 w. R. BLACKWOOD 3,403,523

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MARKIN YMBOLS AN THER SUBJECT MATTER ON CHARTS,GR 5 AND THE KE Filed March 1, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIFE P:

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Oct. 1, 1968 w. R. ACKWOOD 23 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A KING SYMBOLSAND OTHER SUBJE MATTER ON CHARTS, GRAPHS AND THE LIKE Filed March 1,1967 N Sheets$heet 2 United States Patent 3,403,623 METHOD AND APPARATUSFOR MARKING SYMBOLS AND OTHER SUBJECT MATTER ON CHARTS, GRAPHS AND THELIKE William R. Blackwood, 7 Washington St., Topsfield, Mass. 01983Filed Mar. 1, 1967, Ser. No. 619,831 4 Claims. (Cl. 101-368) ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE The subject matter of the invention deals with a stampingapparatus for printing coded symbols on a chart or map and includes astamp member having relieved printing characters and a stamp guide inwhich the samp member may be received and guided. The stamp guideconsists of a translucent guide plate provided with cutout symbolapertures, each of which apertures are defined by angled stamp guidingsurfaces. The stamp member is formed with a resilient stop portionhaving one or more wedging surfaces correspondingly angled to mate withthe angled stamp guide surfaces and provide for limited movement of thestamp through the stamp guide aperture. By this arrangement the relievedprinting characters may be stamped against a printing surface with acontrolled pressure to provide a relatively small sharply defined inkimpression which is quickly and accurately located at a plotted point orother desired locus without excessive transfer of ink.

This invention relates to a method and means for applying printedsubject matter to a desired surface and, more particularly, to astamping device for applying an inked impression in the form of a symbolor other printed character or mark. In one specific aspect the inventionis concerned with a form of stamping device which can be utilized instamping coded symbols on a chart or graph to indicate co-ordinate graphpoints through which a curve or curves may be drawn. Such coding is usedespecially to differentiate one curve from another and facilitate chartreading procedures.

In conventional application of coded symbols to a map or chart, sizebecomes a factor since a relatively small sharply defined impression isdesired. To apply small symbol impressions in accurately registeredrelationship by means of standard type rubber stamps is not alwayssatisfactory since the stamps are of a size not easily oriented with aplotted point. Moreover, there is a tendency for excessive ink transferto occur with uncontrolled hand stamping of small symbols. A practicefollowed by many engineers and scientists in preparing a chart or graphis to substitute for the rubber stamp a template formed with a number ofcutout coded symbols with a required point having been plotted on achart member. The template is placed over the chart and the desiredsymbol aperture brought into register with the point. Thereafter theuser inserts a pencil or inking member through the symbol aperture andmoves the pencil or inking member about in the aperture until the symbolis fully blocked in. The template is then moved to another position andthe operation is repeated.

In such a template usage the inscribed coded symbols vary in quality andshape from one another since they are made by hand and in many cases theresulting chart appearance is lacking in professional quality. Inaddition, since each point has to be hand inscribed, the operation istime consuming and tiresome.

It is a chief object of the present invention to provide an improvedmethod and means for applying printed subject matter to a desiredsurface and to devise a novel 3,403,623 Patented Oct. 1, 1968 stampingapparatus by means of which uniform high quality inked impressions ofrequired symbols or code marks in relatively small sizes may be rapidlyand accurately located thereby improving the quality and speed of chartmaking.

Another object of the invention is to devise an apparatus of the classdescribed in which means are provided for regulating the amount ofpressure which is exerted in forming an ink impression to avoid blurredand distorted symbol formation on a chart or graph.

Still another object is to provide the combination of a translucenttemplate formed with angled stamp guiding surfaces and a stamp memberhaving similarly angled stop surfaces whereby controlled pressure,together with highly accurate registering of the stamp member may berealized.

Still another object is to provide a combination template and stamparrangement in which a template aperture is formed of a relativel smallsize at one side of the template and of a relatively large size at theother side of the template.

The nature of the invention and its other objects and novel featureswill be more fully understood and appreciated from the followingdescription of a preferred embodiment of the invention selected forpurposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating a chart member located on asuitable supporting surface and further illustrating the stampingapparatus of the invention being used to apply an ink impression of adesired symbol;

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view taken approximately on the line 22 ofFIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view showing one of the components of thestamping apparatus consisting of a translucent template member;

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view of the structure shown in FIGURE 3;

FIGURES 5 and 6 show additional components of the stamping apparatusshown with means for reproducing two different types of symbols;

FIGURE 7 is a view illustrating more in detail different configurationsfor required chart symbols; and

FIGURE 8 is a cross sectional view showing a modification of theinvention.

With the foregoing object and related problems in mind, I have conceivedof a method of controlled symbol stamping in which a raised translucentguide plate is employed in cooperating relationship with a manuallyapplied stamp to obtain a highly precise register of a stamp characterwith a desired point on a map, chart or other printing surface while atthe same time regulating the amount of pressure which is transmittedthrough the stamp character to the printing surface.

An important feature of the invention method is the manner ofpositioning and applying the guide plate and stamp with respect to apredetermined point on a printing surface, In use the guide plate isnormally supported in a slightly raised position and is formed withapertures having angled stamp guiding surfaces which extend all the waythrough the plate and which are cut or shaped in such a way as toprovide a relatively large opening or sight at the upper side of theplate and a relatively small opening or sight at the bottom side of theplate. This arrangement provides a picture frame effect which greatlyfacilitates rapid registering of the plate over a desired point on a mapor chart since the operator while looking down through the relativelylarge opening can center the relatively small opening very accuratelyover the point to be marked.

I further provide a' compressible stamp member of rubber or yieldableplastic material formed with angled stop portions which arecomplementary with the angled sides of the plate apertures. With arelatively small opening of the guide plate having been centered over adesired point as described above, the stamp member may be enteredthrough the relatively large opening into contact with the angledsurfaces of the aperture. The stamp may then be pressed down through theopening until its printing character contacts the printing surface withthe angled stop surfaces of the stamp member being engaged against thecorrespondingly angled sides of the aperture. The angled surfaces of thestamp function as a stop to limit and control the amount of pressurewith which the printing character is actually engaged against theprinting surface. The amount of pressure exerted may be varied inaccordance with the spacing of the plate above its printing surface, aswell as the size and yieldability of the stamp body.

Considering these parts in greater detail, FIGURE 1 illustrates theguide plate and stamp in position to apply a symbol on a graph sheet Gmounted on a table T. Numeral 2 denotes the guide plate of the inventionwhich may be comprised by a translucent material such as glass, plasticsheet or the like. As is most clearly shown in FIG- URE 3, the guideplate 2 is preferably made of rectangular shape and is normallymaintained in a raised position by means of corner supports as 4, 6, 8and 10. The corner supports may be separately attached or formed as anintegral part of the guide plate body and it may be further desired toincorporate in these supports elevating screw means or other devices foradjusting the plate at different heights above a printing surface.

Located centrally through the guide plate 2 is a stamp ing aperture Awhich, as shown in FIGURE 3, is defined by angled sides 12, 14, 16 and18. These angled sides form a relatively small opening or sight at thebottom side of the plate, and a relatively large opening at the upperside of the plate as suggested in FIGURE 4. There is thus realized apicture frame effect whose depth is determined by the thickness of theguide plate employed. An important feature is that the relatively smallopening can be very quickly registered over a desired point in moreaccurately centered relationship than would be the case with a largerstamp opening. Hair lines 22 and 24 are formed at one side of the plateas shown in FIGURE 3 to facilitate correct orientation with graph paperlines.

In combination with this apertured guide plate described, I furtherprovide a novel stamp construction as is more clearly shown in FIGURES1, 2 and 3. My improved stamp construction includes a holder portion 26,for example, of cylindrical shape and a relatively larger stamp body 28which may be detachably engaged to the holder in some convenient manner.One preferred arrangement consists in forming the stamp body 28 with areduced upper stud portion 30 and locating this stud portion in a recess32 formed in the holder 26 as is more clearly shown in FIGURE 2. Thisarrangement permits convenient substitution of other stamp bodies in theholder.

The lower end of stamp body 28 is formed with a relieved printingcharacter P which may be a rectangularly shaped symbol, for example, asshown in FIG- URE 5 and which projects downwardly from a bottom part ofthe stamp body 28 as indicated in FIGURE 5. In FIGURE 6 another stampsymbol P1, in a stamp body 28, is shown in holder 26. Various otherprinting characters may be employed as indicated diagrammatically inFIGURE 7 by designs P2, P3, P4- and P5.

In accordance with the invention, I further provide stamp body 28 withspecially formed stop means defined by angled stop surfaces as 40, 42,44, 46. These angled stop surfaces 40, 42, 44, 46 are formedsubstantially similar in angularity to the plate surfaces 12, 14, 16 and18 and are arranged to meet and form a lower stamp end 28a of the stampbody 28. This lower stamp end 28a is made of a size slightly larger thanthe relatively small opening in plate 2 at the bottom of the aperture Aand also made appreciably smaller than the relatively large opening ofaperture A at the upper side of the plate 2.

As a result of the arrangement described, it will readily be appreciatedthat the lower stamp end 28a may be conveniently passed down through thetop of the aperture A into a position such as shown in FIGURE 2 so thatcharacter P may engage the graph sheet G and apply a printed image. Thestop surfaces 40, 42, 44 and 46 extend upwardly from the lower end 28afor distances appreciably greater than the thickness of the plate 2 asshown in FIGURE 2 and thus form an upper enlarged end 2812 whichconstitutes a stop exceeding the opening at the top of the aperture A.

Therefore, the character P contacts the graph sheet G with a controlledpressure since the stop surfaces 40, 42, 44, 46 prevent the stamp frombeing forced downwardly beyond a predetermined point and excessivepressure of the character P against the graph sheet G is avoided and asharply defined image may consistently be applied.

The stop means because of the limiting action on movement of the stampthrough the guide plate controls the pressure of the stamp against thechart or map. This controlled pressure may vary in accordance withchange in several limiting conditions such as change in the height ofthe guide plate, the thickness of the plate, the size of the stopsurfaces and the over-all resiliency characteristic of the stamp body.

It will be apparent from the above disclosure that by utilizing thetranslucent guide plate of the invention and its cooperating stop membera desirable range of printing effects may be realized and a symbol orother character may be simply and quickly applied to furnish aprofessional appearance. The translucent character of the platefacilitates register. A convenient adjustability feature of the printingstamp subject matter is afforded by the method of attachment to theholder described and shown in the drawings and various other types ofmarks and symbols may be employed. In addition, I may desire to vary theangled stamp guiding surfaces in the plate by utilizing conical typesurfaces, triangularly arranged surfaces and various otherconfigurations.

Still another modification is illustrated in FIGURE 8 in which theholder 26' is fitted to a member 30' which may be formed of a relativelyrigid or incompressible material. The member 30' is formed with angledside portions to provide a part 28 which is larger in size than a linermember 29 of resilient material such as foam rubber or the like. Theresilient member 29 may be arranged to extend all the way around theaperture in the plate 2' and thus constitutes a yieldable stop means forallowing the printing member P to be brought into contact with a surfaceG with a limited degree of pressure. It may also be desired to constructthe plate itself of a relatively more yieldable material for acting as alimit or stop in receiving the printing member 28'.

While I have shown preferred embodiments of the invention, it will beunderstood that changes and modifications may be practiced within thescope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An improved stamp apparatus comprising in combination a stamp memberincluding a handle and a guide plate having a stamp guidin apertureformed therein for receiving the stamp member, said aperture beingcharacterized by angled stamp guiding surfaces which define a relativelysmall bottom opening and a relatively large top opening at respectivelower and upper sides of the guide plate, said stamp member being formedat its bottom with a relieved printing character and an intermediatestop portion located above the relieved printing character, said stopportion presenting angled sides which are complementary with the angledstamp guiding surfaces of the guide plate and which have a verticaldimension exceeding the thickness of the said guide plate, and saidstamp member being connected with said handle and removable therewithupon removal of said handle after a stamping operation.

2. A structure according to claim 1 in which the plate member isprovided with support means for locating the plate in a raised positionrelative to the said graph sheet.

3. A structure according to claim 1 in which the stop means includes aresilient body located in the stamp guiding aperture for yieldablyreceiving the stamp member therein.

4. A structure according to claim 1 in which the stop means includes arelatively incompressible stop portion formed on the stamp member andsaid stamp guiding aperture being formed of a yieldable material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 258,666 5/1332 Murdock 101 371771,435 10/1904 Metcalf 101 405 2,333,134 11/1943 Whitlock 33-4392,438,162 3/1943 Guest 77--62 10 3,158,096 11/1964 Arnold 101368 ROBERTE. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

C. D. CROWDER, Assistant Examiner.

